This continent is also set to host the tournament four years later
The ICC T20 World Cup 2024 is being jointly held by the United States of America and the Caribbean. For the tournament, this is the first visit in the USA because the ICC firmly believes that cricket must be expanded. Unfortunately, for a nation that is more loyal to baseball, basketball, and soccer, it has been hard for cricket to fill the stadium with enough spectators.
The Caribbean, despite being a cricket-crazy region, is doing no better given the downfall of the West Indies national team in recent years, coupled with the financial crisis in the area and peculiar match settings.
In short, cricket is not doing well in North America and the Caribbean. However, there is one continent where cricket and cricketers are worshipped, and be it Tests or T20Is, stadiums are full to the brim on every occasion. In fact, the continent in question has hosted the maximum number of ICC T20 World Cups so far, and it is none other than Asia. On three occasions, Asia hosted the World Cup and is scheduled to host the fourth in 2026.
The ICC T20 World Cup made its first visit to Asia when Sri Lanka was handed over the responsibility to host the tournament. That year, Sri Lanka became the first team to reach the finale of the tournament as the host, and so far, no other team has repeated the feat. In the finale, Sri Lanka clashed with the West Indies but failed to chase the target of 137 runs, succumbing to 101 runs only. The West Indies lifted its first-ever T20 World Cup at the R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo.
Two years later, the tournament once again visited Asia, i.e., Bangladesh, another nation that is known for its loyalty towards cricket. Unfortunately, despite being loyal to cricket, Bangladesh has remained a minnow, and their performance was not up to the mark in front of the home fans.
The team topped the group stage with four points against minor opponents such as Nepal, Afghanistan, and Hong Kong. However, in the Super 10 Group 2, Bangladesh was whipped by the big boys like India, the West Indies, Pakistan, and Australia. The host country finished at the bottom of the table, losing all four matches and crashing out of the tournament. The finale saw Sri Lanka beating India by six wickets and taking revenge for the loss the Lankans had suffered at the hands of India in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup.
In 2016, the tournament finally reached India, the biggest and most dominant cricket-playing nation in Asia. As the host, India enjoyed a decent run in the tournament, reaching the semi-finals but losing to the West Indies. The team from the Caribbean beat England in the finale and lifted the title for the second time, becoming the first team to win two T20 World Cups.
In 2026, the T20 World Cup will return to Asia, but it will be hosted by two nations jointly—India and Sri Lanka. Last but not least, Asia remains the only continent that has hosted the T20 World Cup three consecutive times.
